


Mastering the Art of Loneliness

by Norachandrabbles



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:42:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9858410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norachandrabbles/pseuds/Norachandrabbles
Summary: Day 5 : Alternate Universe"It baffles me greatly when one knows a specific thing will surely happen, yet they still hope it won't. And when the time comes, one still finds themselves whining and resenting." is how Sawamura defines his current situation.5 years after entering a family company and putting his blood, sweat and tears for this establishment to rise from its ashes, Sawamura is at a crossroad: he either has to enter the family through marriage so he can own it or he has to abandon everything for another man to sit on the throne comfortably.





	1. Prologue - I

**Author's Note:**

> I have the outline of the story but for now, I'd like to keep their meeting with Kuroo as a surprise element that will be revealed in the next chapter. Hope you'll bare with me. orz

It was such a small family company when it was handed down to Sawamura; shrunk would be a better way to put it though. On the verge of bankruptcy, company was truly desperate to bring a non-family member as the head of planning department and he had to spend almost 3 years without a decent holiday or sometimes even working on weekends, to get it back on his feet. Rather than regulating the financial aspects, hardest part was to gain customers' trust back and reclaim its reputation; return the company as it was used to be. Now, Michimiya Information Technologies is returned to the market and continuing to grow.

Another 2 years have passed and Sawamura can safely say that everything's going more than okay; actually it's going so damn well, whenever he thinks about praising an aspect, he bites his tongue not to jinx anything. He's still considerably young, apart from those prison-like 3 years, Sawamura has a more relaxed schedule, a nice house and a car, additional time and money to be spent on his personal hobbies. A couple of friends he made started off as professional acquaintance, to spend some quality time if he likes to grab a drink. However today, a new page will be forcefully opened, without offering him an option to even consider his surroundings. The only obstacle, as others would like to call it, is standing in his way from his next and final step. A last name.

"You may come in."

Sawamura feels the cold steel against his sweaty palms, sending a shiver throughout his body. He presses the handle down to open the huge wooden door.

"I've been informed about your will to converse, sir."

"No need to be so formal, Sawamura-san, please sit down." Michimiya Nishida, the current owner of the company, points out the velvet colored wing chair across him. "Michimiya-san is enough. Would you like to join me for a drink?" He tries to lure Sawamura in as company by shaking the bottle lightly.

"I'm deeply sorry but I have to turn you down, sir. It's still too early for me to drink."

Sawamura unbuttons his raven black suit's jacket and slowly sits down.

"Ah what a shame, this whiskey is one of the best." He clears his throat while plopping two huge ice cubes into the finely shaped glass, following by the sound of liquid, flowing and taking shape of its container.

"Is it possible to learn the topic of our discussion?" Sawamura tries to fast forward their conversation in the expanse of being rude because unlike the owner, he has tons of things to do and have a concert to catch.

"I see you're trying to rush things but I have no objection, I know how hardworking you are, to a point of being a workaholic. I'll keep it short since this isn't a matter that can be handled with just one meeting, there will be lots of this. As you know, we have finished our 5th year together here and you really revived us through your diligent work and wit. I want to do as much as I can do for you but you know how it is with long established family companies. It would have been huge if you were to be my son, it's something that we cannot change. However, you may guess by now the next best thing to being blood-related."

He knew it, he was clever enough to take the hints. Still, when the truth stands in front of him, all flesh and blood, it's still terrifying.

"I might have a presupposition sir, yes."

"I know you do Sawamura-san, you are a wise man." The owner sits back at his table with his drink. "You've met my precious girl Yui before, as far as my memory goes. At the charity ball we organized for the orphans two years ago?"

"Y-yeah, I vaguely remember sir."

_Of course I don't, we were briefly introduced, that was all._

"Well, if you accept my offer, you will have plenty of time to get to know each other. However, if you decline, we may have hard time Sawamura-san. You know, about-"

"Yes, I understand." Sawamura interrupts. He often finds himself thanking for the laziness of his boss through his working years since he doesn't tolerate pushy people. Thankfully, the boss dumped every responsibility on Sawamura's shoulders and didn't even stop by his office for long periods of time. The husky voice interrupts his thoughts.

"So? What do you say?"

Sawamura wants to sigh to his heart's content, he swallows yet again another complaint for the sake of his future.

"Sir... You do realize that you're asking me to get married to your daughter, am I correct?" He raises a brow.

"Yes, I'm well aware the reason I called you here."

"Then, I'm sure you'd appreciate that I need time to think about agreeing to this. It's not something that I can give a positive answer right off the bat."

"I really can't believe I have to explain this to a grown up human being." Sawamura deems himself as a patient man, tries to live up to it.

"I understand however, only thinking won't help. I'll text her number so please arrange a date with Yui. Getting to know her a little before completely may change your opinion. That was all, thanks for taking your time Sawamura-san, I appreciate it." The owner winks.

"Anytime, sir. Have a nice day."

He immediately gets up and almost launches off the room. Loosening his tie, one word seeps in through his teeth.

Disgusting.

 

୭

 

Coffee fits Sawamura better during the day. Lost in his anger, he fails to notice Tanaka's desperate attempts to steal his attention for a while.

"I'm sorry Tanaka, did you need something?"

"Yeah, I've been yelling like an idiot and embarrassing myself for a while, thanks to you."

"Then, you're being your usual self." Sawamura chuckles, bumping his shoulder into Tanaka's playfully.

"Even soooo!" Tanaka yells, faking his annoyance. "What's the problem, heard you've been sent for the boss fight."

"Wiggling your eyebrows doesn't make it funnier, Tanaka." Sawamura huffs from his nose while grabbing his friend's mug and pouring some coffee for him. "He gets on my nerves every time without even trying. I'll even say that I missed the times when we were in a pinch." He extends the mug to Tanaka as they walk out of the break room. "Can we stop by the smoking area?"

"Is it that bad?" Tanaka sounds genuinely worried, he knows Sawamura only needs to smoke if something deeply troubles him.

"Yeah, kind of. It baffles me greatly when one knows a specific thing will surely happen, yet they still hope it won't. And when the time comes, one still finds themselves whining and resenting."

Stepping out at the fire escape and inhaling fresh air gets Sawamura's circulation working again. Tanaka sits on the stairs while Sawamura leans on the railing, taking out his suede tobacco case and rolling himself a cigarette.

"Want to talk about it?" Tanaka interrupts the comfortable silence.

"Uuuh, maybe another time? My head is still spinning." Sawamura scuffs, watching the ashes carried away by the wind. "Though, I'd like you to hear me out for another thing."

" 'course, Sawa."

"Promise me, you won't get mad?" Sawamura tries to coquet but with his large build, he's doomed to fail.

"You know I'll be lyin' if I were to promise that. C'mon shoot, don't leave me hangin'."

"I really am not in the mood for the concert tonight-"

Right when Tanaka opens his huge mouth to shout at a decibel that'll make people think he's being murdered, Sawamura shushes him.

"I have a better idea, though! How about you take Yachi-san instead of an old guy like me, huh?" He smirks, confident on his master plan. Seeing the amazing blush spread in a split second on Tanaka's sharp cheekbones is a sign of success.

"S-s-ss-awa, y-you know th-at I can't do that!!"

"Oh so it has reached a new level, he even stutters now." Sawamura notes.

"I can casually do it for you, if you can't muster up the courage." He winks.

Tanaka sighs exasperated, signaling defeat. Sawamura pats his shoulder, reassuring him and reminding their university days, where he had carried out some pretty successful wing-man plans for Tanaka.

 

୭

 

"Hello Yachi-san, am I interrupting your work by any chance?"

"How could you be interrupting me Sawamura-san! I'm at your service."

Yachi Hitoka has been working at the company for 2 years as one of the core programmers. She sometimes gets a bit awkward, especially when the company has projects piled up and she has to work overtime. They have a happy memory of her chugging down two liters of coffee in an hour to keep herself awake, a good lesson on not letting her near the coffee machine again. Tanaka's been crushing on her pretty bad for a year, though Sawamura knows how shy he is despite how he usually acts. Sawamura sees this as a nice chance to give them a gentle push, while he just wants to lay on the couch, drink and drown himself in music until he's comfortably numb.

"It may come out awkward but-" He reaches to his jacket's inside pocket for the tickets. "-me and Tanaka were supposed to be seeing  a concert tonight but something urgent came up and I don't want to leave him alone, poor guy waited too long for this. The other day, I heard you talking about Radiohead?"

"Yes, uhm. They are my favorite band." Yachi answers timidly.

"Great, then you must have heard Thom Yorke's other project, Atoms for Peace. Here are the tickets. If you are free and up to it, please keep him company? I would really appreciate that."

"Sir, I'd be glad but, are you sure you're giving me these just like that?" She asks, though Sawamura can already detect inner Yachi bouncing off the walls in joy, stars flickering from her eyes.

"Actually, you're doing a huge favor for me and Tanaka, it's really appreciated. No need to think about repaying or anything. You can contact him for further information." He lightly squeezes the petite woman's shoulder. "Take care of Tanaka for me, okay? Have fun!"

Yachi hurriedly stands up, bowing and thanking Sawamura again and again as he leaves to pack his things up, leaving early.

 

୭

 

Keys in the bowl, suitcase on the drawer, shoes and jacket's off at the entrance, unbuttoning the vest and throwing the tie on the kitchen counter; Sawamura can't tell if he finds comfort in the repetitive sequences or he's fed up with his coming home ritual. He likes the cold feeling under his feet, cooked inside shoes all day as he glides on varnished hardwood floor. Folding the arms of his shirt, he opens a bottle of wine and grabs a glass, plops himself on his couch.

" _Does it make me pathetic if I feel blessed when I slouch after a day of standing like a stick plastered under my shirt?_ " He exhales, relaxed after reaching his comfort zone. He doesn't forget messaging Tanaka and wishing him the best and turns it off to have a piece of mind.

It's too absurd to be true, Sawamura thinks. He had worked for that company for 5 years and he is going to be thrown out if he is to reject getting married. Not immediately, of course, but he is sure that they are looking for someone to inherit the company. Family companies are extremely common in Japan and not all of them are open to welcome outsiders, no matter how odd it seems.

At one hand, marriage is something Sawamura didn't consider up until now, it always seemed like a concept belonging to his 'future self'. Not like he didn't have girlfriends but living under the same roof is a lot of effort and one has to find a person to be ready for that commitment. He doesn't yearn for anything in a 'love at first sight' line or 'the one and only'. Someone who can be open and reliable, that he can build trust and fondness throughout their relationship with. As of now, he doesn't even have a candidate.

On the other hand, there's tremendous amount of work and labor he put in the company and he cannot bring himself to accept all of that will be thrown out just because he's not blood-related to the owner. Even though knowing it's a family brand, he finds this tradition unacceptable and meaningless to carry out.

" _Not like I have a say in that matter..._ "

Just the thought is enough to stir Sawamura's insides but the acquaintances, friends and experience he made is too valuable and indispensable for him in the end. He tries to remember the charity ball and Yui, only memory left from their interaction is her soft and small hand in Sawamura's, her face doesn't even vaguely appear.

"Maybe she's my other half- pfff, bwhahahah! Argh, yeah maybe she's a nice person or someone I can... coexist with? All I know is I won't go down without a fight, one meeting won't kill anybody."

He picks up his phone and turns it on again. Suddenly a pile of text messages rush to his screen, almost all of them from Tanaka.

" _2, 3, ... 5 messages of randomly pressed letters, occasional shouts and thank you's, there is even a selfie, how nice. They seem to hit it off._ "

He chuckles, contently. Tanaka has been there for him ever since they've met at university. He's a strong mind, much stronger than Sawamura. If he could be able to control his hot blood, he'd be much more successful than Sawamura, still he's a diligent worker and cares for others deeply. Even if they weren't close friends, Sawamura would still wish him the best, he deserves it.

Sawamura scrolls down.

"One thank you message from Yachi, she seems to be doing fine too. And Yui's number."

Sawamura leans back one more time, trying to gulp down the lump in his throat with wine.

"Relax, it won't kill anybody."

He hopes and sends a text message to introduce himself to Yui.


	2. Prologue - II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revised version of [this](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6341575/chapters/14908720). I will be continuing the story.

Some short consecutive messaging later, it's decided they'll have a meeting ('date' as Yui wants to put it) next weekend. No matter how many times Sawamura iterates himself that this is a casual get-together, he is also aware of the fact that it's not, his boss is greatly involved and it's not an arrangement he can easily brush off by saying "Ah well, we didn’t really click, see ya!" and leave. Pouring himself another glass of wine, he stretches himself on the couch, gets up and walks towards the record player.

After getting into company, Sawamura started to collect records, a dream he wasn't able to bring into life for obvious reasons during his university years. Having a friend who excels in music taste and knowledge, helped him grow his collection; another aspect of Tanaka he deeply appreciates. He likes this song too much to just sit and listen, Sawamura's body starts moving on his own and sways around the living room, he often feels it's too unfortunate that he can't sing but tonight, he doesn't care.

Glass in one hand, he mumbles the lyrics off-key while shaking his hips one way and curving his upper body in the opposite, forming imaginary 8 shapes. Thankfully he has a sense of rhythm enough not to embarrass himself on the dance floor. He grabs his phone from the end table and takes another look at the selfie Tanaka sent. Lights are dim at his apartment and city lights flicker beautifully as his gaze wanders off the large windows; he is satisfied just by looking at his friend's happiness, overflowing from that single, rather blurry photograph. Not one inch of jealousy resides in him, neither yearning for a significant other. 

"Oh no... No no no no! You're not allowed to get cold feet, you just texted her, Sawamura. You're a patient man, remember."

Just when he decides to gulp down the rest of his wine and sleep before he texts Yui again and postpones the meeting, he hears the buzzing of his phone, another message from Tanaka asking if he was awake.If he is contacting Sawamura right after their date end, it's either happy news or something went bad; either way, it's worth giving him a call.

"Heey buddy, I'm awake, is everything alright?"

"God, Daichi..." Tanaka goes silent and Sawamura cannot decipher if it's a good or bad pause. Though, he doesn't keep Sawamura waiting for too long.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd never be happy over someone's misery, especially yours but... I don't even have the words to thank you right now. I had the BEST time of my life."

Tanaka's thoughtfulness brings Sawamura to laughter, leaving the other perplexed. 

"Oi, korra, why the hell are you laughing!"

"Come on Tanaka, we know each other well enough that you won't do something like that." Sawamura retorts, in between chuckles. "I really liked the selfie you sent and take it that Yachi enjoyed the night, too?"

"Not sure about her..." Tanaka's voice drops along with his courage.

"What do you mean, did something happen?"

"Uuhh, I really am not sure... Everything was going great and after the concert, I suggested drinking coffee at a nearby shop and she said yes."

"Tanaka, you know how she's like with too much coffee, she also said so herself." Sawamura whines while squeezing his phone between his ear and shoulder, washing the wine glass and tidying up the place.

"I know I know, she said she would get something sweet, like a smoothie. It was going all great but after sitting at the cafe, she started fidgeting and getting nervous, I didn't know what to make of it. What do you think, did I make her nervous? Or was she being her usual timid self?" Tanaka sighs, sounding really distressed. 

Sawamura hums at the question, rushing and giving false hope would only hurt his friend after all.

"I wasn't there with you, so I'm not sure what to think either, sorry about that. Though, I don't think you have to take it as a negative sign. It's your first time going out together and those company dinners don't count. You can observe her during the week, if nothing changes in her attitude towards you, then it means she is her usual self!" 

"...You really think so, Sawa?" Tanaka asks reluctantly, which is weird considering his usual character and makes Sawamura sad, however it only underlines how much he cares about Yachi. 

"Of course buddy." He laughs sincerely, trying to encourage both his friend and himself. 

"Yeaaahh, woohooo! I feel so much better every time I talk to you," Tanaka beams, it's easy to tell through speakers. He continues talking, relaxed. "By the way, you didn't tell me what you talked with the boss today. Is everything alright?"

Sawamura evaluates his options; he will eventually talk about this with his friend but after fixing Tanaka's morale, he doesn't want to dump all these stupid problems on him either. He can at least wait another couple of hours to annoy the 'hot-blooded crow', as he was called back in the university days.

"Buy me lunch and maybe I'll spill." Sawamura giggles.

"Sawaaa-"

"I appreciate the offer but I was planning on going to bed, it's not an urgent matter that can't wait tomorrow to be solved. I wasn't joking about the lunch, though." 

"Argh, alright. Stubborn as ever, you jackass. Then, I'll see you tomorrow, try to get a good night's sleep. Bye."

"Bye Tanaka, be careful on your way home."

Sawamura stretches, feeling at ease after hearing nothing major happened at their date. Tucking his hand under the shirt and scratching himself, he walks towards the bedroom, eyes heavily lidded from the tiredness and body so tense from the stress. Apparently, even wine isn't able to ease his mind.

 

୭

 

"Ready to roll?" Tanaka's voice would make the best (o r worst? Sawamura couldn't decide) alarm tone, if he were to be honest.

"Yeah, let me grab my jacket.” 

In just ten minutes, successfully dodging others' invitations, they are out of the suffocating atmosphere. Without asking where Tanaka is taking him out for their date, Sawamura understands from the course they are taking that their destination is the sandwich shop near the office where they usually eat when they don't have spare time. He jokingly glares at Tanaka while nudging him with the elbow.

“Ugh you cheapskate. I would've played hard to get if I knew you were taking me to a snack shop.”

“But that's the only place we can talk comfortably and our nosy coworkers don't eat there.” Tanaka’s voice is boisterous, not-so-subtly indicating that he calculated every hindrance and came up with the perfect plan.

“There is a reason why others are not eating there Tanaka, geez.”

“Yeah, which is in our favor.” Tanaka blurted out his evil laugh, only to decrescendo at the end. “Mm, okay maybe, juuust maybe , it's a shame that one of them is not coming.” Tanaka hardly voices out the sentence but Sawamura doesn't need to fully hear it to decipher what he's saying.

“Why didn’t you invite her?” Sawamura asks, absentmindedly. He's been extremely successful on immersing himself in work that he forgets the reason he’s been teasing Tanaka.

“Because today I’m all yours baby! You’ve chosen the best shoulder to cry on, tissues on the house.” Tanaka throws one of his sly grins at Sawamura while holding the door for him.

" _If only Tanaka could be half smooth, just as he's with me, when he hangs out with Yachi._ " The thought crosses Sawamura's mind, though he is quick to dismiss them as he lets Tanaka woo him and buy him the "Daichi Special", which isn't really a special at all,mayonnaise and egg sandwich with additional pork rib meat. 

Sawamura has to admit that his friend is right about picking this place, it's rather quiet since people only come here to eat and then go their respectable destinations, it's surprisingly easy to speak when you're eating a sandwich. As they fill their stomachs with mediocre quality meet, Sawamura pours his heart to Tanaka and addresses every one of his worries so maybe he can give Sawamura a piece of mind because apparently, he desperately needs some. 

"In the end, I messaged her and we talked a little, agreed to meeting this weekend. I'm at my wit's end Tanaka..." Sawamura sighs into his sandwich, losing interest in chewing the bite that slowly turned into a muddy blob in his mouth. Tanaka seems equally lost. 

"I speculated about a lot of things since yesterday but not this, to be honest," Tanaka exhales. 

"At least, she seems decent," Sawamura desperately tries to reason.

"Hey, there is a huge difference between "She's decent." and "The person I'm gonna marry is decent.". Don't be rash Sawa, I understand your dedication and how deep you're bonded but in the end, it's your life you understand? Nothing is more important than that. You're smart and hardworking, everyone in our field knows how competent you are, I don't know a company that will turn you down. I'm always here for you if you decide on making a transition." He pats Sawamura on the knee, drawing out a chuckle from the troubled friend.

"You talk like there isn't a possibility of divorce or I actually may like her." 

"Look, I just don't want you to trick yourself into thinking that you like her. What's more, it may seem like you're only getting married but my dearest Sawa, NO!" He put his hand on Sawamura's shoulder, his voice deep like he just started to reveal his biggest conspiracy theory. 

"You think you are getting married to a woman but suddenly families come into equation. Especially in your situation, you'll be inheriting a family company, it will most definitely come with strange and tiring obligations. After that, you will meet the true horror of shopping, finding yourself arguing about which color your grater should be. Then the families will start expecting a baby, bitching about it non-stop. By the time you take a breath and look around, you'll be in a pinch and divorce won't be an option! I hope you will actually fall in love with her, because that would be the best outcome, however, please please please don't force yourself okay?"

"Why can't I marry you Tanaka..." Sawamura finally genuinely giggles, releasing all the tension. 

"You have to enter the line baby, there is a long queue." He wiggles his brows, getting up and paying for the lunch afterwards.

"Seriously Tanaka, when did you become this reliable?" Sawamura feigns ignorance. "It's almost like..." He stops for two seconds to increase the impact. "...you're my senpai."

A visible shudder passes through Tanaka's body and settles on his cheeks as a cute blush, corner of his lip twitching from trying to keep his excitement and smugness in check. It's something Sawamura realized when they were having a study session at the library with their classmates and one of them blurted out "Hahah, Tanaka you're like a senpai!" as a joke and Sawamura suffered throughout the week because he wouldn't shut up about it. He just loves being the reliable one.

"Not fair, I've always been dependable!"

"But the fire alarm at the dorm wouldn't agree-"

"That was just ONE TIME okay?! Gosh, you never let that go, always rubbing it in my face."

"Only once? You've provided whole dormitory a life time supply of funny stories to tell their grandchildren!" 

"You ungrateful child, when you're in a pinch again, remind me not to help you okay?" 

On their way back to the office, Sawamura continues teasing Tanaka about their misadventures, ending in Tanaka's two minute long, fake sulking. Though on the inside, Sawamura is replaying what Tanaka said at the shop and how reasonable they are finally starts to sink in. 

" _There's no helping, I agreed on seeing her. I'll see what I can do from there on._ "

 

୭

 

Getting out of the subway, Sawamura checks the time and is relieved that he's 40 minutes early. Since the weather is great, everyone seems to have rushed out to the streets, all around him is filled with families, lovers or friends sitting at cafes, holding on to their ice cream as they joke with each other or do window shopping. It's been a long while since they've met at the ball and Sawamura doesn't have the slightest idea how she looks, doesn't know if she remembers Sawamura at all, too.  That's the reason Sawamura offered a specific meeting point, in front of a coffee shop he once visited. He crosses the street as he notices his feet gaining momentum; he's somewhat excited. He shakes his head as he remembers Tanaka's words, he needs to stop riling himself up. 

He nears the coffee shop and sees a woman waiting in front but it's still very early and frankly... Is there even a possibility of someone like her to be Yui? She turns around and their eyes meet. After a moment of staring into each others' eyes, woman breaks the awkward silence. 

"Sawamura-san?"

" _Oh. So it's her,_ " Sawamura blinks. It's true that he doesn't remember Yui, however he didn't expect her to be like this, either. She has a bob cut style hair that barely touches her shoulders with bangs, tips dyed in a vivacious shade of green and a cute black derby hat on top. She has a black, green and red tartan pinafore dress and a white, short sleeved button down shirt inside. Sawamura wants to say she looks different, though he has no memory of Yui from back then; after a moment of consideration, it seems logical that she wouldn't come to a charity ball in this type of outfit. Otherwise, he would definitely remember her. He snaps out of his thoughts.

"Yes that's me, Michimiya-san." Sawamura beams. "I didn't assume it would be you for a brief moment since it's pretty early."

Yui sends an apologetic smile, scratching her left forearm.

"Yeah, most of the time I manage to be late for my appointments so I wanted to make sure I was here on time." 

"Haha, I see. Before we move on, are you hungry?"

"Mm, not right now. What about you?"

"I'd like to wait, too. Then, is there any particular place that you'd like us to stop by?"

"There is a place I have to visit but I can do it after we part ways. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"It really is no problem for me."

"Then..." Yui muttered. "There is a second hand record store that I frequently visit and I ordered some albums, I am supposed to get them today."

Sawamura's eyes widen at the offer, though Yui takes it the wrong way and tries to explain, frustrated. 

"I'm sure you think it's boring, it really doesn't have to be right now, Sawamura-san." 

"Oh, no no no! You got me wrong, I'd love to go! Actually-" Sawamura scratches his neck, tips of his ears getting red at the excitement, mixed in embarrassment. "-I, myself, am collecting records, so... I'd really love to visit the shop."

This time, it's Yui's turn to be amazed. She eagerly jumps, clapping her hands. Her expression blooms under the bright daylight.

"Then I hope you'll like this shop! The owner, Ukai-san may come out as a little bit grumpy, so I apologize in advance. Though, he definitely is the person if you're looking for especially rare pieces. He's like those police dogs, who can locate things from miles away." 

Her way of imitating dogs and scrunching her nose draws a rather loud chuckle out of Sawamura and a couple of strange looks from the passersby. Glancing at each other simultaneously, without being able to suppress their laughter, they continue strolling down the street. 

After a fifteen minute long walk, discussions on the weird people visiting record shops and a lot of lame memes they've seen on the internet, they are finally in front of the shop, half tired from all the laughing. Yui pushes open the door so comfortably as if it's her room and shouts joyously.

"Ukai-saaan? Ukai-san, you're heree? It's me, Yui."

An unpleasant groan rises from the deepest part of the shop and an old man raises his head amongst the sea of records. 

"Ohohoo, Yui-chan welcome! Always glad to have you here." 

Yui runs and jumps into Ukai-san's hug. Just like that they fall into a warm, usual conversation on their daily lives about how Yui's dad doing or did Ukai-san's back healed yet. Sawamura takes this time to look around and observe the shop. The place is quite spacious, the walls all covered with shelves, full of records. The wall behind the register is covered with 70's rock music posters and there are several different types of string instruments like guitars, ukuleles, balalaikas or mandolins hanged from the ceiling as a decoration. He doesn't know about the selection but at first glance, the place looks cozy and pleasant. A place where Sawamura may consider to make one of the places he frequents.

Yui calling his name drags him away from his thoughts. She introduces him to Ukai-san and Sawamura tries to seem polite as much as he can but "You can't come close to her unless I approve you." is written all over Ukai-san's expression. Next hour and a half is spent on talking about records and collecting, Ukai-san always pointing out the faulty parts in Sawamura's taste in music; either too hip or too old-fashioned, overall distasteful. Yui tries to mediate between the two and ease Ukai-san's grumpiness. Towards the end, Sawamura seems to be able to shift the owner's opinion of himself towards the positive side, even if a little. When he goes back inside to boil some water for tea, Yui glances at Sawamura, giving him a thumbs up.

"You're definitely on the right track. No faltering!" She winks, supposedly encouraging him to pursue on conquering the grumpy owner's heart. The clueless expression on Sawamura entertains her as her chuckles slowly turn into small bursts of laughter, not long after Sawamura joins her until their voices blended into each others' and fill the whole room. Wiping the small tear droplets accumulated at the corner of her eyes, Yui places her hand as a shield next to her mouth so Ukai-san might not hear her. 

"The owner's kitchen appliances at the back are as old as him, the tea will take time. How about we take a look at the vinyls in the mean time?"

"That would be amazing." He grins, getting up and following Yui afterwards. While they stand next to each other and browsing through albums, making a comment or recommendation here and there, at one point Sawamura loses himself in the music playing in the background, the exact same song when he first messaged to Yui. Without really realizing, his body starts moving on his own, keeping up with the tempo and humming the lyrics in a voice that can be barely heard. However, Yui is standing very close to her and it's impossible for her to miss the sight, she puts back the record in her hand back in its place and starts watching Sawamura. 

Much to his dismay, Sawamura comes to his senses after two minutes of embarrassing moves and lousy singing. Getting extremely flustered and beet red, he rubs the bridge of his nose and begs Yui to forget what she just saw but she is just having too much fun to take Sawamura's words into count. 

"Just... Uhhh, how did I let that one slip.." He shakes his head and tries to focus what's in front of him but clearly fails.

"By any chance..." Yui puts her fingertips over her mouth, a sly smirk spreading on her face. Referring to the lyrics of the song she continues. "...are you a virgin Sawamura-san? You really seemed to be getting into the song, ohoho." 

"Just, -uh, ye- WHA?! NO! God, Yui!" He reddens at the question, getting all worked up and averting his gaze, he stutters profoundly, making Yui giggle all the more. 

" _She's just making a pun on lyrics but still..._ "

"I'm sorry, did I overstep my boundaries with the joke?" Yui closes in on Sawamura. "Didn't mean anything by it, your dancing was cute, actually." She shots one of her beautiful smiles, making Sawamura want to caress her flushed, fluffy cheeks-

" _Get a hold of yourself Sawamura! perfect time to recall the words of your best friend._ "

"Oh, no. It's okay, there's nothing to get offended about." Sawamura lightly snorts. "It's just that, The Divine Comedy is one of my favorite bands and I clearly have no self control when I hear them."

"Really? What a coincidence! Today, I came to pick up one of their vinyls, though I never listened to them before. Now that you mentioned them, I trust your taste!"

"Unlike Ukai-san, apparently." 

They both share an exhausted chuckle as Ukai-san came back with three cups and a teapot, feint jasmine smell trailing along. As they sit again near the table, drinking tea and continuing their rambling about music, Sawamura finds himself wondering.

" _I have a feeling that maybe it won't be so bad to spend my life with her._ "

 

୭

 

Well, to sum up their past 6 months of dating, it didn't go as steady as Sawamura imagined their relationship to be back then. Of course he didn't ask for perfection, he knows best that it's absurd. It was going smooth at first, Yui met Tanaka and Yachi, they hit it off so well. Even Tanaka was amazed at their compatibility and mentioned something close to 'hitting a jackpot', Sawamura was feeling the same. All those weekend excursions in the form of going to swimming or picnic when the weather's convenient were refreshing, concerts, exploring new restaurants or coffee shops, going to movies or cooking together at Sawamura's place were all so fulfilling. 

Spending more alone time in the house helped both of them to get to know each other and that's around the same time where the little problems started surfacing. 

" _Which is more than normal._ " Sawamura iterated to himself. " _Two people trying to co-exist is always an annoying period._ "

He didn't like the way he was phrasing it as annoying, but he didn't know any other way to put it either, that was practically what he was feeling. Those quarrels were all the smallest things, really. Sawamura didn't understand how she was so sure of herself most of the time, getting unbelievably stubborn or how she phrased her needs in an aggressive way where it's totally unnecessary. She had problems concerning Sawamura's behavior too; like how he was leaving every little choice up to Yui or he was being inconsiderate around the house. It was understandable since he was living alone for a very long time and habits really do die hard. Both of them promised each other to be more careful and try to work these issues out; but now it seems to Sawamura that there is no progress at all and it is utterly concerning. 

Not because they are going out. Because the marriage preparations have begun slowly.

Meeting the families were no problem but since Yui's parents are a small, yet well-known dynasty, they have established relationship with other families and have piles of mandatory events or etiquette to live up to and it becomes unbearable for Sawamura from time to time. Yui doesn't seem to enjoy these either and tries to be there for him. However, no matter how hard he tries to deny, rather than Yui, he wants to be left alone. At the same time, he hates himself for it. 

" _Do I really not want this?_ "

 

୭

 

One week long business trip seems to have worked, thankfully. Sawamura feels refreshed and considers that it's just accumulated stress with both work and high expectations weighing on his shoulders. He also takes the next week off, which is actually not really off; occupied with shopping, picking out kitchen utensils, furniture, carpets, drapes and many other necessities. He likes to spend time at home, he wants to participate in this spree so he won't end up with unpleasant things to look at spreading around in the house.

On their third day of shopping, while they are discussing which coffee table would match their couches, Yui abruptly turns to Sawamura, like she remembered the most important thing.

"Oh Daichi! Did you think about your wedding suit?"

Sawamura hums at the question. 

"Mmm, not really."

"I mean, we almost decided on a lot things to get. If you'd like, you can take your time to look around since you're free. I can take care of the tomorrow's plan."

"I didn't think it was urgent, though. We still have time."

"I thought maybe you'd like to get one tailored for you, I guess those take time? You should know better, since your suits are all bespoke."

"I've never seen the tailor I frequent doing wedding suits, I thought I would get something ready-to-wear."

"Aw come on!" Yui bumped into Sawamura's shoulder playfully. "It's our wedding, try asking him, maybe you'll be an exception!"

"Hahah, okay. Or maybe he may know another tailor he can recommend."

"Yepp, that's the spirit." 

"Oh sorry, Tanaka is calling."

"Why do you still call each other by your last names?" 

"We used to do that in university but after we started working together, it kind of stuck? Let me get this."

He separates from Yui, walking towards a less crowded and noisy area. He frequently forgets that he actually doesn't need silence when it's Tanaka. 

"SAWAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Hey hey, go easy on the ears!"

"BUT YOU'RE NOT HEREEEEE!" He continues to whine, making sure even the passersby hear his agony.

"Isn't it better with me not being there? You should focus more on certain someone." 

"Don't mention her Sawamuraaa, I'm already in pain!"

" _Here you go, now he whispers._ " Sawamura chuckles at the exponential drop in his voice, trying hard to be discrete. "We went on a couple of dates, all four of us, I thought you were used to talking each other more."

"Yesterday, while we were in the break room together, talking about the upcoming festivals, she smiled in an extremely cute way and I dropped the mug I was holding in frustration."

"Oh..."

"Three times in 20 minutes." 

"Oh!" Tanaka goes silent after the last comment and Sawamura takes this time to come up with something to make him feel better. With all the commotion he's been going through lately, he notices he missed his friend a great deal.

"I don't know Tanaka, maybe it's time you talk about your feelings. It's been 6 months since you went to that concert together. While you may consider half a year to be short for Yachi to develop romantic feelings for you, you've been feeling these for almost one and a half year. It's an extremely long time to bottle up your emotions."

"I really don't want to scare her off..." Tanaka sighs, so tired and defeated. 

"I understand but you need to think about yourself, too. You need closure, Tanaka."

"I need to think about it thoroughly, I guess you're right. Maybe I need to confess and get it over with. I might have a heart attack during the process and die, though"

"Just remember not to hold any mugs in your hand, I think you'll be good to go."

He is finally able to draw Tanaka's cheerful chuckle out that suits him much better than the sulking. 

"Oh by the way," Sawamura continues, "do you happen to know a good tailor that does bespoke wedding suits?"

"Didn't you already have a place that you were going? I personally don't know anyone."

"As far as I know he doesn't tailor wedding suits. Do you think you can ask Yachi? She mentioned about a close friend getting married recently. What was his name, Nishinoya?"

"Pfft, yeah. The boy so short that he had to get something tailored for him. Okay, I'll ask her after lunch and try not to burn the whole building while I'm at it."

"Perseverance, Tanaka!"

"Yeah yeah, you're not good at encouragement at all."

"I'm waiting for the answer, take care!"

"Talk to you later."

Now that Tanaka mentioned lunch, his stomach is aware of its emptiness and craves junky stuff. On his way back, he tries to come up with a tactic to trick Yui, a healthy eater, into feasting on fast food. After arguing about the options for a couple of minutes, they settle on a gourmet burger house; still counts as junk food but has high-quality ingredients. 

"Mmhh, it's been a while since I've eaten such good bacon burger!" Sawamura gulps down the burger like a hungry wolf while Yui watches him across the table, finding the view extremely funny to interrupt.

"Hahah oh my, Daichi you look so happy, like you've found your long lost brother. Try to breathe, though. It would be a shame if you'd die because of a burger." 

"If it's this good, then I have no regrets." Sawamura retorts, trying to suppress his laughter so he doesn't actually die.

"By the way, your phone's been buzzing for a while." Yui points out as she wipes her mouth and hands, covered with crumbs and ketchup from the burger.

"I asked for a recommendation for the wedding suit, that's probably it. Can you read it for me?"

Yui leans over to Sawamura's side and grabs his phone. 

"It's Yachi. She sent a phone number and an e-mail address, says that she had talked to the tailor beforehand. Apparently, he seems to be not too occupied on Friday but pretty busy the next week so he's waiting for your answer."

"So I need to call him to make an appointment?"

"Mmm, it says that a message will do."

"Okay, I'll message him after I'm finished. This moment is too precious to be interrupted. Mmhh, come to your papa, my little fries." 

"Goodness, why does it sound so perverted when you say it, hahah!"

"Hey princess, don't you dare kink-shame me."

 

୭

 

Sawamura doesn't have hard time spotting the shop, the exterior really gives off an impression like it is a traditional English store with dark Mahogany door that beveled at the top and has stained glass in a basket weave design. Wide windowpanes with black, wooden frames that showcases two mannequins with unfinished suits, accompanied by other several sewing-related items, does a great job at stealing a passerby's gaze, making them stop and turn.

Just to make sure, Sawamura takes out his phone to check if he's at the right place and is relieved to see he is because there are 10 minutes left for the appointment. Sawamura doesn't understand why he's feeling restless. The owner sounded like a pretty serious person in the messages the other day and that's how it should be. However, Sawamura cannot help but feel a little intimidated. Letting out a motivational huff, he turns the knob over and enters the supposedly one of the best bespoke suit shops, King Solomon.

No one seems to be inside, so Sawamura clears his throat loudly to indicate he's arrived however gets no response. As he advances into the shop and eyeing the tailor's works hanged over to wooden hangers alongside the walls, he decides to call out.

"Excuse me! I'm-"

"Please make yourself comfortable, I'll be there in a minute." The low-pitched, yet lively voice retorts from the back. Without knowing how long will the person take, he turns around, sees the two winged chairs situated near the windowpane and decides to sit there, browse the products more while he's at it. 

"I'm so sorry, I made you wait." doesn't take too much and Sawamura gets up to greet him. Seconds after the shout, comes a man, very tall -almost 2 meters, which is pretty out of standards- and his body lying somewhere in between being lanky and muscular.  A strand of black hair partly covers his face, not being able to wholly screen the gold-ish glimmering of his eyes. Apart from the hairstyle, everything about him looks very much orderly and clean. He's wearing all black; shirt, vest, trousers wrapping the limbs just the right amount and traditional George Hogg's under the outfit. A tie that has a matte, yet bright shade of red, shines amongst the black suit. He has a tape measure hanging around his neck and an arm-held pincushion on his left upper arm, making Sawamura assume that he is the owner/tailor he messaged.

"If you're eyeing my suit and wondering sir, yes, I was the one who tailored it." His confident smile looks like a borderline smirk, however Sawamura doesn't dwell on it much, right off the bat.

"Then, it's as if you are an example who prove the "A cobbler's children have no shoes." proverb to be wrong." He hopes his words doesn't come out as sucking up to the owner because he really means it.

"O' my, glad my work was worthy of your praise, sir. I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, the owner, designer and the tailor of King Solomon. And you must be Sawamura-sama."

"Please, no need for that, Sawamura-san is fine." He feels the owner's eyes strolling up and down on his body and the fact that he is doing it so openly makes Sawamura a little uncomfortable. 

" _It must be some kind of occupational hazard. Well, he will be measuring and eyeing my body a lot if we agree to work together, I need to get used to his gaze._ "

Clearing his throat and not being able to prevent the tips of his ears getting red at the undressing gaze of Kuroo's, he continues.

"I assume my friend who contacted you didn't talk about the details over the phone. I am planning to get married and was in need of a bespoke tailoring store that has wedding suits in their repertoire."

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you, sir. May I know the date?" Kuroo points out the chair for Sawamura to sit again as he situates himself on the chair next to him. 

"We have two months ahead of us."

"Splendid! I wish you all the best. If you don't find me intruding, may I ask, why my shop? As much as I'm honored, I take it that you are no stranger to the tailor-made suits. Are you perhaps not satisfied with the service you are getting?"

Sawamura cannot pinpoint what exactly puts him off about Kuroo, even though he's extremely polite with him, behind these sweet words he feels like there is something more.

"Not that I'm unhappy, my tailor is not specialized in wedding suits. That's why I came to seek your guidance." 

"I understand. Then, I would like to show you my previous work so you can decide if you'd like to hire my services. If not, rest assured that I can guide you to another shop that will suit your tastes. Shall we?" 

This time, Kuroo points out one of the counters inside, where a catalog lies on top. As they make their way over to the counter, Kuroo lightly gasps.

"How rude of me, would you like to drink something? Tea? Or coffee perhaps? My staff is on leave for today and it's only me. Pardon my inability."

"Please, it's no problem. I have to leave in a hurry after this meeting, the never endless shopping spree awaits and my girlfriend needs my assistance." 

Sawamura gets tired just by imagining while Kuroo chuckles at Sawamura's expression.

"Then I shall fast forward and set you free as early as I can."

As he hands over the catalog to Sawamura, Kuroo continues the small talk.

"You, having a personal tailor indicated that there is no need for me to explain the process in detail."

"It's true. For how long is your shop open during weekdays? I personally try to leave my weekends open, there are still a lot to sort out about wedding."

"Of course I understand." Kuroo considers the options for a mere second. "We are open until 9 P.M. however I can wait a little bit more if you can't make it to 8 or 8:30. Is your workplace close?"

"Not much but I can make it to 8. I don't work overtime for the majority of time however, if something comes up I'll make sure to let you know beforehand. My schedule is not erratic."

"I cannot tell you how reassuring is this, shops like us suffer a lot from trying to fit into customers' schedules. Of course they are always our priority, however..." He contemplates on whether to continue or not. 

"I completely understand, you don't need to explain." Sawamura shots an affirmative smile at Kuroo.

"So, may I ask, what is your line of work?"

"I'm working for the Michimiya Information Technologies, the head of the planning department."

Kuroo's eyes widen at the information Sawamura just gave. His confident smirk wears off along with the liveliness in his voice. Sawamura attempts asking whether he knows someone specific from the company or not but the buzzing of his phone interrupts their conversation. 

"Ahh, it's my girlfriend. Duty called much earlier than I expected."

"You can just take the catalog with you and call me when you decide." From the first minutes they've met Kuroo's smile always seemed like one of those professional smiles where it is polished throughout the years into perfection, nevertheless leaves a bad aftertaste. Now, he's still polite and calm, however to a point of being icy cold that sends shivers down Sawamura's body.

"Maybe your girlfriend would like to offer her thoughts."

"Yeah, she would like that." 

Sawamura turns and moves towards the entrance while Kuroo follows suit. During parting, Kuroo still looks a little shaken, his reason unknown. Considering the circumstances it is not the best time to push the owner for more information so Sawamura tries to leave it at that, waving to Kuroo as he walks towards the main street to get a taxi. 

He fights the urge to send a message Kuroo as the city lights start to bicker and night prepares to envelope the city. Instead, he calls Yui to know where she currently is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my [Tumblr](http://norachandrabbles.tumblr.com/) if you'd like to request anything from/commission/support me or just want to be my friend!!


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